Page 56 of Queen of Wrath

His thumb moved to the cork and popped the bottle open. He didn't even need to pour out the contents.

It evaporated into the air like a sickness creating a black cloud in front of them.

“Say goodbye to the world. This is the last time you'll be seeing it,” Diesel chuckled, pushing Rowan into the black cloud.

She fell down. Deep down. There was seemingly no end in sight.

Only darkness surrounded her.

The black cloud must have been some kind of portal!

Rowan quickly reached behind her right ear, and turned on her tracking implant.

All I can do now is hope that someone from the agency sees my beacon, and comes looking for me.

Rowan continued to fall into the infinite darkness.

Someone…

Anyone…

Help.

23

LEA

The smell of something burning filled my nostrils, dragging me out of bed.

My feet were moving before the rest of me had even fully woken up yet.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes as I looked out my window, seeing the city colored in a powerful orange and red, despite it being in the middle of the night. “What’s—going on?”

A piercing scream ripped through the silence, and sent a rush of urgency through my body.

Someone’s in trouble!

I made it to my front door and pulled it open.

The wall of heat hit me in the face full force.

The fire blazed so intensely that I couldn't tell from where it originated.

I brought the sleeve of my robe up to cover my nose. I needed to keep the smoke out of my lungs.

I looked around, spotting a woman who was under a burning piece of a large wooden beam that had collapsed. “Hold on! I’m coming!

I darted off in her direction, but stopped after hearing the building collapse right next to me.

The heated stone blocks made a terrible creaking sound as they rubbed against each other and fell over into the street.

The ground rumbled as if the Giants had awoken, and their Stampede had begun.

“Help me! Please!” the woman pleaded with me.

I have to make it across!

I ran back inside to grab my potion pouch, which was sitting on the little coffee table in my living room.

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